Huang says politics drove him from position

Tormented by physical illness and indignation toward the nation's legislature, seasoned pediatrician Huang Fu-yuan (王富源) resigned as deputy director of the Cabinet's Department of Health (DOH) last week.

"I am sick and tired of the vituperation and groundless rebuke from legislators. The stress of it all has aggravated my vertigo and has prompted me to make the decision [to resign]," Huang told the Taipei Times on the eve of his resignation.

"I believe there are other, more capable and more courageous candidates for this position. It is time for me to hand the post over to one of them," Huang said.

According to Huang, he can no longer tolerate pressure of under-the-table dealing by the legislature.

"The pressure appeared when they [the legislators] asked me to do things I could not do or was not supposed to do."

Huang also said that some legislators humiliated executive-branch officials during interpellation or forced them to work against the nation's benefit "merely to satisfy and profit their supporters."

"No matter how hard we [the DOH] worked, if their [legislators'] requests were not satisfied, our plans would be blocked or our budgets would be cut," the 62-year-old doctor lamented.

At the request of Director Lee Ming-liang (李明亮), Huang left Mackay Memorial Hospital (馬偕醫院) to take over the DOH deputy-minister's post two years ago, hoping to assist Lee in enhancing the nation's health-care system.

Although Huang decided to resign before completing his term, he has been widely recognized for his achievements in pushing for several important policies promoting medical ethics, including the establishment of medical ethics committees in hospitals, the implementation of biomedical research and amendments to regulations on organ transplants.

Huang put special emphasis on the importance of establishing medical ethics committees in hospitals in a bid to prevent them or their doctors from over-commercializing the services they offer.

In seeking a better medical environment, Huang also upheld the idea that health-care providers should focus on what would benefit the patient rather than on personal profit.

"Whatever I do, I want to put in place the concept that the provision of medical services is not a business enterprise, hospitals are not shopping malls and patients are not commodities."

Upon hearing Huang's resignation, Jeng Long-bin (鄭隆賓) -- director of Transplantation surgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (長庚醫院) -- said it is a pity that the government has lost such an upright and forward-looking official.

Jeng worked with Huang in pushing for the nation's first Organ Registry and Sharing Center, which was established last month.

"Huang's vision for Taiwan's health-care system has great foresight and his performance during the past two years has been quite appropriate. We really need scholars like Huang in the government to improve our medical system. He has a sense of justice and honor."

"Huang is not only an outstanding doctor, but he's also an upright Christian with a benevolent heart," said Huang Jun-hsiung(黃俊雄), superintendent of Mackay Memorial Hospital.

While Huang's righteousness and insistence on honor and justice might have made him reluctant to compromise the political environment, his benevolence and long-term devotion to health-care has brought him consolation.